Ampul, energy in your hands, is a product-system that is designed to empower people. To be more in control of energy consumption through positive stimulation. Ampul encourages users to produce their own electricity and recommends when is the best moment to put it to use. It does this as if it were your sixth sense and it makes sure you feel rewarded and satisfied by producing and using the 'home made' energy. In order to develop Ampul, several in depth user studies were conducted and real-life prototypes were used in the Concept House at Heijplaat, Rotterdam.

In this 5 month project a product proposal was given to the company SolarDew. The goal of the project was to make SolarDew’s unique desalination technology applicable in areas struck by disaster. An extensive context analysis was done, using case studies of disaster areas around the world and rich insights of field-experts from NGO’s like the ‘Red Cross’ and ‘Doctors without borders’. A product manual was developed explaining how to setup the drinking water supply. The new product is distinguished with different components that can be bought separately from SolarDew to adapt the product to the very unpredictable context.

This team project is a spin off from the individual 'art by neighbours' project. The project aims to create a ‘sparkle’ and stimulate 'social cohesion’ in neighbourhoods. An interactive experience in the lift (elevator) of apartment buildings elicits interaction between inhabitants. The project was presented at the yearly recurring Microsoft Design Expo in Seattle, U.S. and was awarded the Industrial Design award by Microsoft Research.

Neighbours in large apartment buildings can create a shared artwork in a central place in their building. The project aims to strengthen social cohesion amongst people who live very close to each other but do not have much community feeling. The project features a photosensitive wall, which remembers the silhouette of each person that stands in front of it or passes by. Over time it creates an artwork with the silhouettes as building blocks, the people stay anonymous but they know that they are part of the artwork. The project has been exhibited in the Delft Amazing Technology week (DAT)

Give it a turn, for NS train interiors is aiming to change the way people behave in train compartments. It allows persons to create different groups of chairs by turning it before they sit down. When a person sits down the chair locks in place. Because all chairs can rotate the user can form its own groups of chairs or distantiate his/her own chair from other chairs and enjoy the journey individually. The project has been awarded as one of the best five within twenty projects proposed to The Dutch Railways, NS.

This modular product is developed to create a flexible layout in apparel stores for presentation and stock piling of clothes. The product consists of 4 primary elements which can be used to create different configurations. The elements can be attached without the need for tools and are made of aluminum to make easy assembly and disassembly possible for the persons who are running the store at that moment. The Dutch-Chinese production company, LH Dutch Bear was client.
The project has been selected as one of the best Bsc final projects of the year and is published in TU Delta, to read the article click here.

Hi I’m Jaap. I am passionate about designing great experiences for real people and make things that truly matter. I live right in the middle of Rotterdam and I like building my own stuff.
I am trained as interaction designer and design researcher. That means going out there to talk to real people and find out what matters to them. That could be asking people if they like to live in their neighbourhood. Or if they care about being more in control about their energy bill. It always involves a truly listening ear and empathy for someone else.
I love transforming those pure insights to tangible concepts and eventually turn them into valuable products. Whether it’s a fresh take on train traveling or an award winning experience in your everyday elevator ride on the way home.